Cattle Owners Bemoan Lack of Services

FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)

Abdoulie G. Dibba

21 May 2011

Cattle owners in Wuli West and Wuli East Districts have bemoaned that the tax they pay to the Livestock Department is not benefiting them in any form as they grapple with lack of drugs and watering points for their cattle.

The cattle owners made this statement during an interview with this reporter who recently visited the area.

The cattle owners lamented that even though they pay D25 per cattle to the Livestock Department, they lack drugs and drinking points for their cattle. Due to the absence of these services, they said, cattle rearing have become a nightmare for them. The cattle owners lamented that the lack of drinking points for their cattle is a real burden for them since they have to fetch water from wells that are 30 to 40 metres deep or leave their villages during the dry season to other places where they can get water for their cattle.

According to the cattle owners, swamps dry up during the dry season and that they are the only source of water for their cattle because, it is impossible to fetch water from wells that are 30 to 40 metres deep for 2000 heads of cattle or more to drink daily.

Other than the lack of drinking points for their cattle they said, drugs are also a big burden on them since they have to travel all the way to the Sister Republic of Senegal to buy drugs for their cattle.

The cattle owners concluded by calling on Government to render them some services in the form of watering points and drugs for their cattle since they are paying D25 per cattle as tax yearly.

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